With the rise in electronic media and technology in art, robotics has become a popular medium of experimentation.

Discover simple accessible ways to mechanize your creative projects. Make a robotic mechanical beatbox or a Futurist noise machine. Make kinetic sculptures that move to music and choreograph lights plotted over a time-based MIDI score.

In this 3-session workshop, you will get introductory, hands-on training for building and programming your own mechanical art/music object using a Robot Controller Kit.

WHO THIS CLASS IS FOR

This course is for sculptors, installation artists, sound artists, new media artists, and musicians to develop works that explore movement and sound within a physical space.

The workshop culminates in a public performance and/or installation showcase with each student creating a solo or collaborative mechanical performance.

STUDENT WORK

CURRICULUM

How this workshop is organized

WEEK 1

The first class will be devoted to learning the key concepts of robotic design.

WEEK 2

In week two, you will prototype and develop your individual project.

WEEK 3

The final class will be spent composing the movements and the sound for your work in preparation for the student showcase.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?

Requirements

Basic understanding of music (familiarity with an instrument, composition, improvisation, working with timeline-based software, etc.)

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?

Materials

+ Mac or PC laptop

+ Ableton Live or Logic Audio (free trial)

+ micro USB cable

+ sculpture materials specific to your final project

Your course fee covers a 12-volt power supply, motors, solenoids, and servos as well as electronics and some building materials.

FOR INSPIRATION

Artists Working in this Medium

simone giertz

peter william holden

rafaello d'andrea

zimoun

about your instructor

“I’ve created these tools, these toys, and have had time to play with them.”

—MATTHEW STEINKE

Matthew Steinke is a composer, artist, and educator. His sonic narratives and musical experiments take the form of audio recordings, videos, performances, and installations. His invented instruments combine electromechanical engineering and acoustic design for both composed and improvised performances.

Over the past two decades, Steinke's robotic installations and performances have been presented in museums, galleries, and festivals across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

He holds an MFA in Art and Technology Studies from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been featured in Wired, Artweek LA, The Village Voice, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Spin, Rolling Stone, Keyboard Magazine, Drum Magazine, Hackaday, and on the cover of Tape Op.

Currently residing in Austin, Texas, Matt divides his time between music composition, performance, installation, acoustic research, and experimental musical instrument design.